Toy vehicle



W. MAJ EWSKI Oct. 11, 1938.

TOY VEHICLE Filed Dec. 18, 1936 ATTORN 3.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 ,1;

, TOY VEHICLE I WaIter MajewskLflhicago,'Ill., ;assignor to Lakewood Mfg. Co.,,0l 1ie ago, 111., a corporation of Application December 18, 1936', Serial No. 116,542 3 Claims. ((01. 280 -87113) Thisinventionrelate's in general to toy vehicles, and more particularly toa toy vehicle which is adapted to be propelled by bouncing movement of the operator thereon.

I A principal object of the invention is the provision of a toy'vehicle, having a spring supported seat, which will be automatically impelled forwardly a'given distanceupon each reciprocating movement imparted to the seat by the operator.

Another important object of the invention] is the provision of a novel rear wheel assemblage and means for suspending the same which make such movement of the vehicle possible by pre venting rotation of the rear wheels upon down- F ward movement of the seat and permitting rotation' thereof upon upward movement ofxthe seat.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of a toy vehicle which simulates'the action of riding a-horse, while being so safe in operation as to be adapted for use by very young children.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of such a toy vehicle which may be easily and cheaply manufactured, while being of such sturdy and durable construction as to withstand the hard use to which it will be subjected by children.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a toy vehicle embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1; and 1 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

reference numeral II indicates. a frame member of any suitable material which has mounted upon it a seat I2 which may be adjustable relative thereto if desired. Extending upwardly from the seat I2 is a flat member I3 which may be cut in any suitable shape, such as that of a horse's head. A bar I4 is mounted at right angles to the member I3 and extends therethrough so that a grip means is afforded the operator when using the device. Pivotally mounted on the frame member I I at I5, is a foot rest I6 adapted for steering the vehicle.

Pivotally secured to the foot rest I6 by bolts H, or the like, are a pair of forwardly extending bars or rods I8, which in turn are pivotally se-. cured at their forward ends to a cross member I9 which is pivotally mounted at 2| on the frame member II. A pair of wheels 22 are rotatably mounted upon-the cross member IS. The assemblage comprising the foot rest I6, arms I8, cross member I9- and wheels 22, constitutessteering apparatus for the toy vehicle.

2 A heavy gauge steel spring 23 is inserted between the cross member I9 and the frame member I I, and is held incontacting relationship with the frame member I I adjacentits forward end by means of a U-shaped bracket 24. Across member 25 is rigidly secured to the spring 23 at its rear end by means of a bolt 26, or the like. Secured to the rear surface of the cross member 25 is a U-shaped supporting member 21 having a slot 28 formed in each of the downwardly extending arms 29 thereof; A rod 3| extends through the slots 28 of the arms 29 so as to be freely rotatable therein and slidable longitudinally of the slots, and is provided with a wheel 32 mounted on each end thereof.

In the use of the toy vehicle, the operator seats himself upon the seat I2, grips the rod I4, and places his feet on the foot rest I6. Upon bouncing downwardly the frame member II is moved from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. As can be seen from this figure, the shape of the lower surface of the frame member II and the shape of the spring 23 are such that the above described downward movement of the frame member II, which will be about the center of the wheels 22 as a pivot point, will cause a downward flexing of the spring 85 23 to its dotted line position, as shown in Fig. 1. This is due to the fact that a bending moment is applied to the spring by the frame member I I, which is assured by the shape of these members and the retaining bracket 24 holding the forward 40 part of the spring in contact with the lower surface of the frame member. The initial flexing movement of the spring 23, as above described, results in the frame member 25 being pressed downwardly into contact with the outer periphcry of the rear wheels 32. Such relative movement between the member 25 and the wheels 32 is permitted by the slots 28 in the supporting member 21, and results in a positive braking of the rear wheels to prevent any movement thereof relative to the floor or other supporting surface. Consequently, further flexing of the spring 23 results in forward movement being imparted to the forward wheels 22, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 1.

The subsequent return or upward movement of the frame member II, which is induced in part by the reactive force of the spring 23, results immediately in the rear frame member 25 being moved forwardly out of contact with the rear wheels 32 to permit rotation thereof, so that the vehicle as a whole will roll forwardly under the impetus of the reactive force of the spring 23 in its return to the full line position of Fig. 1', It will thus be apparent that the' vehicle will be automatically impelled forwardly a given distance upon each reciprocating or bouncing move ment imparted to the seat I2 and frame member I I by the operator.

The above described toy vehicle may be easily and cheaply manufactured, since the members II to I4, I9 and 25 may be constructed of Wood, if desired, and the members I6, I8; 24 and- 21' may be readily formed from strap iron, or the like.

In the embodiment of the device shown in the drawing, the rear frame member 25 is disclosedas extending laterally beyond the wheels 32 so as to insure the above described braking action thereof on the wheels. If it is desired, the frame member 25 may be dispensed with, and the bracket member 27 secured directly to the rear end of the spring 23 with its downwardly extending arms 29 made sufficiently long to permit the wheels 32 being mounted: in an inner position relative thereto. With= thisconstruction, the transverse portion ofthe bracket; 2!- will contact the outer surface of the wheels 32in the initial part of the extending movement-imparted to the spring 23 to brake therear wheels in the same manner as described above relative to the frame member 25.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that Various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A to'y vehicle, comprising a spring member, a rigid frame member secured to said spring member at one end thereof, a seat mounted on said frame member, and wheels suspended from said spring member at the other end thereof and from said frame member adjacent its point of connection to said spring member, whereby the vehicle is" adapted to be propelled by bouncing movements of the operator on said seat.

2. A toy vehicle, comprising a spring member, a rigid frame member secured at one end to the forward part of said spring member, a seat mounted on the other end of said frame member, a pair of freely rotatable wheels mounted adjacenttl ie forward end ofsaid members, and a pair of wheels suspended from the rear endof said spring member for longitudinal movement relativethereto, whereby downward movement of said seat willmove said spring member relative to said rear wheels to prevent rotation thereof and upward movement of said seat will allow said spring member to move relative to said rearwheelsto perm-it rotation thereof.

3. In a toyvehicle having a seat and adapted to' be propelled by bouncing movement of the operator on said seat, a spring adapted to be extended by the downward movements of said seat and a pair of normally freely rotatable wheels suspendedfrom said spring and adapted to be held against rotation by saidspring during such extension of saidspring I WALTER MAJ-EWSK-L 

